Walking Among the Living
by StarFire55
Summary: Formally known as Life as a Ghost. Summary: A ghost, living through the harshness of death. Looking for her killer. Guiding souls of the dead. She was the Lady Fate’s only hope. She was the world’s only hope. She was a ghost. A soul. A spirit. She was … K
1. Chapter 1

_Hey this is just a new fic I have been working on. I started it a while ago and only recently started posting it. I hope you enjoy!_

**Prologue**

She paused. Everything was silent. No sound was resonating from the forest that she was walking through. No sound from the beautiful trees swaying in the wind. No sound from the flowers when they brushed up against each other. No sound from the little forest critters scurrying up trees or fighting with each other for food. No sound from the deer, the bears, not even the fish splashing in the river, just absolute silence.

She started walking. She walked through the forest. She walked through the silence. She walked through the grass that was not even making the crunching sounds it makes when something steps on it … such was her life. A lonesome life, hers was. A life of dread and misery. A life, as a ghost.

She wasn't always a ghost. No, she was once a beautiful young girl of 15. She always had everyone's attention. Her ebony locks, seemed to shine blue in the sunlight, just like a raven's wings. She had blue eyes, so blue that they looked like sapphires. Those eyes now were just like gems, yet those gems looked as if they were created in a sea of despair. Her pale skin used to be so full of color, but now looked, as it was white as snow. She was neither tall nor short, about 5'4". Yet something about her shouted kindness but more so despair.

You couldn't tell she was a ghost just by looking at her. You would just see a beautiful young pale girl of around 15. No one would think twice about her being human, let alone alive. She was unbelievingly kind to the people she came across. Most of the villages that she came to were decimated by war and disease. She offered them kindness and care. She gave them hope.

But what the villagers didn't know was her hidden agenda. She was in fact a kind-hearted soul that was why she chose to help guide the unfortunate souls that had died to their salvation in the afterworld. She herself never went all the way with them. Though those souls begged her to come. Yet she would never, she always said that she couldn't, she had something else to do. Little did they know that they were the reason why she couldn't come.

The souls of the dead needed a guide. A position that needed filled until the other half of her mission would be fulfilled. A position that she would fill until that time.

She always did this in secret though, the guiding of the souls of the dead. She was frightened. Scared of what would happen if someone found out. Dreading the day she would be cast out when they knew she was a ghost. Because of this, she distanced herself from others. Never letting someone get close to her. For she was a ghost. Such was a life of a ghost. A life of solitude. A life of loneliness.

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	2. Chapter 2

_Me again! Chapter one is up with the prologue, than I'm going to update periodically. Enjoy!_

**Chapter One**

- - - - 30 years earlier - - - -

"Miss! Miss! Come quick! Miss!" A young boy came up to a young girl who was helping someone with a sprained ankle. She was a healer. A savior. A goddess, to the people she met. A person so kind-hearted and compassionate that she cared for others before herself. They loved her. They adored her. They worshiped her.

"Coming Kiro (key-ro)." She replied in a soft, gentle voice that portrayed no emotion other than kindness. Such was her way; helping those that were in need whether they were dead or alive.

She walked, or slowly ran with the boy that had so hurriedly called for her. With every step he kept pressuring her to go faster, as if something were chasing them. They came to a fallen tree. It looked as if it had been struck by lightning, yet there had not been any rain for weeks, let alone a thunderstorm. It perplexed her greatly but she let it go. For who was she to question the ways of life, she certainly wasn't living, so why should she wonder the mystery of it? She was dead. No longer living. A spirit. A ghost. A soul. Never would she breath among the living. Never would she sleep with the living. Never would she eat with the living. She was incapable of such things, for she was dead. Under the tree that had fallen it seemed, without much grace, was a middle-aged man. He had red hair, the hair though held more of an orangey color than a reddish color. This was quite peculiar to this part of the region, but she was not one to ask. He had gorgeous emerald eyes that sparkled mischievously even though you could tell he was in a great amount of pain. His long red hair was waving in the wind, despite that fact that it was in a high ponytail and caught on some of the branches of the tree.

"Please miss. Please help my father." The little boy pleaded, he couldn't have been less than ten. She finally looked over the boy. He also had the reddish-orangey hair of his father, though his was quite short, just reaching his ears. He looked tearfully at her, the brown pupils reflecting the light of the sun. She then looked at the man that was the father of the little boy. They had similar clothes, though the father's were slightly torn. Brown pants with a tan, baggy shirt. The boy's shirt was baggy, yes, clearly making it known that it was too big for such a small boy. On the other hand the father's shirt fit perfectly, showing his well built muscles. She assumed that he was a house builder or a woodcutter, for he was strongly built and was collecting wood from the trees.

"I will do all that I can." She said while looking at the man under the tree. "May I ask your name, sir?"

"Kaze (kaz – eh)." He replied in a smooth voice with playfulness underneath it.

- - - Kaze's Point of View - - -

'_This young woman… She could be no more than 15 years of age. Why would she be helping this village? It's strange, she seems so distant and cold, yet at the same time it's like she's loving and warm.'_

He saw the young woman looking at him; it was like she was looking through him and into his soul. Searching the depths of his inner most being, deciding whether he was worthy of something that he didn't know. The more he looked at her, the more time began to slow. Though with this thought he thought it was absolutely ridiculous to think such a thing, for who could stop time, let alone slow it. But the eyes of the beauty before him let him feel as if he could get lost in them. With a sudden sense of drowsiness, he felt as if he was surrounded in a warm blanket. With this last thought, that was that the she had found what she was looking for, he drifted to sleep.

"Daddy! Daddy! You need to wake up!"

'_Someone's calling me … a boy … a child … my son?'_

"Daddy! Come on!"

'_Yes my son. My Kiro.'_ With this last thought he forced himself into the land of the conscious. Opening his eyes he came to look straight into a mass of brown. The brown of his son's eyes. The eyes, the innocent eyes he loved so much.

"My Kiro, it is a pleasure to see you my son. Where am I and how long have I been sleeping?"

"Daddy, we're home, you've been sleeping for a day now. The nice lady that helped you said you would wake up and you did!"

"How did I get home, the last thing I remember was falling asleep with a tree on top of me."

"Don't know Daddy. Came home and found you asleep in your bed, after I was told to leave, with a note saying when you would wake up. She even signed it. See!" He handed a delicately written note to his father, with utmost care, like he would break it if he didn't.

"Kagome." He said, though more to himself then to his son. The note was in fact a short description on what time he would wake up and how much in good health he was. Yet that was all, nothing else. No insight on her or her whereabouts, as his son had told him she had left a short time ago. She was simply gone.

It seemed as though it was hours before he moved. Though it could have been just in his mind or in reality, he didn't know. What he did know was his son had left to go shopping with his mother. Yet he was still there. Still tying to figure out the mystery of the young girl. Tying to figure out 'Kagome'.

- - - - Present - - - -

She was alone. All alone. Alone in the silence of the forest. She knew all too well. The same forest that she always took time to walk through. It was not as if she had no time, on the contrary she ad all the time in the world. This was her life. A life of a wandering soul. A life as a ghost.

She was thinking. Thinking of her past. Of the time in which she was still alive. Thinking of her friends. Thinking of how she was ripped from her warm home to a life that held practically no meaning to her. A cold life. No one to love. No one to be comforted by. No one. For she was alone. A ghost in a world of wars and disease. A world that was utterly known for its death and destruction.

Yet she continued, always untouched by the world and time. Always doing her duty. Helping the lost souls get to the afterlife. Allowing those who had no hope, gain some. Searching for Him.

'_Why must I continue this journey? Why can't I just be free from my duty? Why must I continue?'_ The young dead maiden questioned. She questioned the greater power. She questioned Fate. She questioned if it was all worth it.

Born in Japan. Died in Japan. Living as much as a ghost could live in Japan. Experiencing the Warning States Era of Japan. All the fighting. All the blood. All the death. So many died. So many lost. So many to guide. Such was her quest. The quest, which was both a burden and a blessing. For she was forever bound to this Earth, to watch those she cared for slip away. To guard the descendents of her family. To watch them be born. To watch them grow. To watch them die. She envied them, for their ability for a family. She hated them, for the ability of life. She loved them, for they were her dependents. Not directly, but by her family. She watched them, and protected them. Yet she could only do such a thing when she wasn't doing her job. Her quest.

Her family, her descendents. They lived. They lived alive. They lived in a village just outside the forest. The forest. The forest she knew all to well. The forest that she would forever protect. The forest that was her grave.

'_My life, this is where it ended. This forest. It's always been so quiet when I'm here. Is the forest mourning for me? Were the creatures of the forest mourning for me?'_ She thought curiously, she had never really taken the time to think about this forest. It had always been too hurtful. Brought on harmful and grieving memories.

"Forest. Do you mourn for me? If you do, do not. I need no pity from you. It was my choice… My choice…" Her voice drifted into the wind. She looked down, down at her feet. Her memory. Drifted. Drifted to a time where she was known. Known by a name. Known by her real name, her family name.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

- - - - 75 years earlier - - - -

"Kagome!" A middle-aged woman called. She was walking through the dirt streets of their tiny village. It was a small village indeed. Just outside of a forest.

"Kagome!" She called again. She was just outside the village now, walking hurriedly towards the forest, where she knew her beloved daughter was. She could only pray that her young daughter would be okay.

'_Kami! Please hear my plea, and protect my daughter.'_

- - - - Flashback - - - -

"Where is she?" A gruff man asked loudly in a hut in the middle of the small village. The hut itself was not small, but very much larger than most huts. Yet its appearance was quite the same, shades of brown.

"Where is that girl?" He called once again when no sound answered him the first time.

"Who are you? What do you want?" A woman's voice answered.

"Tell me where she is!" He yelled again.

"Where who is? Who are you?" She answered yet again.

"Your daughter, where is she!"

"I won't answer until you tell me who you are."

The gruff voiced man came into the light. You could not tell who he was or what he was wearing other than a black cape. The cape covered everything and had a hood to cover his head. The only distinguishing feature was his size and eyes. He was an extremely large man, about 6'8", while his eyes were a brownish-red. Yet when the light shown on them, it made them glow blood red. An optical illusion, maybe, but it set his appearance as one evil and dark.

"Woman you will tell me where your daughter is!" He yelled at the middle-aged woman. She became startled, however her eyes shown with determination and courage.

"If she did something wrong and the law was after her, then you would have been a gentleman and said your name. You would not be yelling at me, and you wouldn't look like a bandit." When she was saying this, the lady walked into the sunlight as well. She was wearing a simple yukata of light blue and it had white lily flower petals on it. The petals looked as if they were being blown away by a gentle wind. Her eyes were hazy-bluish gray yet they were full of life. Her hair was short, barely reaching her shoulders and was the color of a raven.

"Woman!" with that the strange being, which she could only guess was a male, left in a rush.

'_I must find Kagome, and warn her. Why would he be after her though?'_ With this last thought she ran through the village towards the forest.

- - - - End of Flashback - - - -

Forest

She ran. She ran for her life. She ran for the life of the little girl in her arms. She ran for them. She ran from him. The little girl with dull black hair and reddish brown eyes was wearing a red and white patterned kimono, and she was clinging to the older girl's kimono. The older girl's beautiful maroon kimono was being mangled with dirt and grass as she ran from him. He was after the little girl. He could not have her! She wasn't safe. She would protect her.

- - - - Flashback - - - -

"I've found you!" The same gruff voice said, in the same tone as he talked with the middle-aged woman. Though his voice held a bit of malice and sadistic humor with it. Making the two beings that he was grinning at tremble in fear. "I've finally found you, girl! Give me the child!" His voice started in a gruff level voice but gradually became louder. It was as if he remembered something in the past and began to get angered by it.

"I will not. I will not let your dirty hands touch this innocent child. I will not let you corrupt her mind!" She began speaking in a time soft voice, but at the end of her speech, she too was yelling as if something had angered her.

"Girl, you have no idea who you are dealing with!" He yelled, and started chasing her when she fled.

- - - - End of Flashback - - - -

He was gaining on her. He was gaining on them. Though the forest that she loved so much, she ran. She ran for the child in her arms. She ran for their lives. Through the grass, the bushes, the trees, they ran and he was gaining on them.

The forest was in a frenzy. It was as if it knew that their friend was in danger. Animals ran here and there. The wind blew loudly, making the trees creak and the flowers blow down to the ground. The grass, in the little fields that were randomly placed, blew in a way that it looked as if they were green waves in an ocean. The wind blew. The animals were wild. The trees creaked. The flowers swayed. Then all was silent.

So silent. No animals running about. No wind making the flowers sway, the grass wave and the trees creak. Nothing. Absolute silence. Just silence.

The forest was mourning. Mourning for her. For their friend, for she was dead. She died protecting a young child. She died falling over a cliff. Alone and afraid. He had caught up. He had struggled with her for the child. He had pushed her over the cliff in the struggle. He had run off. She was there, lying. Lying dead on the forest floor. Blood. Broken bones. Dead. The forest mourned. The forest wept. The forest was never the same; it made a vow of silence. Never again to be happy. For it's friend had died. It's young, beautiful female friend. Died. Died on the forest floor.

- - - Sometime Later - - -

'_Darkness…' _It was dark. Very dark. Nothing but darkness._ 'Someone's crying…'_ Light. There was light. The light, it got brighter.

All of the sudden, she could see. See everything. She saw herself. She was in a futon. So pale, with no life. Her family. Her family was crying next to the 'other' her.

'_Is that me? But I'm me. How can there be two of me?'_

You are her, she is you. A soft feminine voice stated. Yet she could see no one to match the voice. Just her, she and their family.

"Who are you!" She yelled. Trembling in fear as she looked around.

Do not worry. Darkness surrounded her again. She could no longer see the scene that had been before her.

"Worry! Worry about what!" She yelled again, still looking around the darkness.

I am Lady Fate. You need not worry what will happen to you.

"Lady Fate?" She asked with wide large eyes. "Wait! What will happen to me?" She had quieted down some since she knew whom she was talking to. Of course she couldn't be sure, but when she looked back on everything that had happened so far, she wasn't that skeptical.

Yes I am Lady Fate. You have a choice young one. I may be in charge of fate but some people can get out of my sight. The man that was chasing you. He has somehow gotten out of my grasp. Because of this you were affected and ended up dying. Thus you have a choice. A choice to either go to the great beyond to wait for centuries until you can be reincarnated. Or you may walk the earth guiding souls to their salvation. The choice is yours young one.

"Why are you giving me this choice? I already figured out that I'm dead, and I'm the essence of my soul but-"

Hush. You must make the choice.

"Humph. Fine. So you're saying that I can walk the Earth again and all I have to do is guide souls to the afterlife?"

Yes.

"What's the catch?"

Wise, you ask what the conditions are before you agree. Very well, the catch is you must not interact with your family; you will not be "alive" but a ghost and you must find the man that killed you and deliver his soul to me. By doing this correctly without complaint I might return your life to you, so you can once again be alive.

"I won't get to interact with my family? A ghost? Wait! How do I deliver his soul to you?"

No. Yes. You need to kill him with a special sword. The sword will then suck his soul into it. Then all you have to do is travel to my shrine at the base of Mt. Fuji and place it on the pedestal there. After that I will perform my part of the deal if you chose this choice.

"Is there something I should know about this man?"

'_Can I kill someone? Even if he killed me?'_

He sold his soul to the Lord of the Underworld, though it is still within him. He lives forever, yet the Holy Sword can kill him.

"The sword that I will have to kill him with?"

Yes, the Holy Sword, Shiori.

"White? The sword has a name? Well it is a Holy Sword, kinda makes sense… So all I have to do is deliver his soul to you and I can become alive again?"

Yes.

'_Can I kill him? He hurt all those people. Can I really kill him? … Yes … To protect others from the same fate I had.'_

"Alright I accept the second choice."

Good, I was hoping you would choose that path.

"So what now?"

… You will see …

With that Kagome blacked out and woke up in the forest she knew so well. As a ghost. As a soul. Commanded by Lady Fate to fulfill her quest.

- - - Present - - -

'_It would seem that my mood has lightened up a bit. Is it because of that man?'_ She thought, a first thought she had had in a long time. She felt more alive. She remembered her past again. She always felt more alive after, yet she felt more alive than usual. _'It's been years since I met that man, yet now I start to feel more alive because of it? I remember my journey. I must find the Holy Sword. Then I must find Him.'_ With this last thought she walked deeper into the forest, blending in with her surroundings, seeming to disappear.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

'_A village? There's smoke and flames. People will die… My job will continue…'_ She watched. She waited. She would do so until it was over. Until she could continue to guide souls to the after life. Such was her job, her way.

"Priestess! Priestess!" A young boy came up to her.

'_Priestess? Oh yes, I forgot I was wearing traditional priestess robes.'_

"Yes young one, what would you like?" She asked in a soft motherly voice. He looked at her somewhat surprisingly, for he would have never of guessed her voice could hold such maturity, though he quickly got over it.

"Priestess, please help! My village! There are bandits that are burning my village!"

'Hmm, now I can't just wait. This little kid, he reminds me of that man from so long ago…'

"I will do all that I can, show me the way little one." She replied in a sweet tone, despite the fact that if you would have known her for many years, you would have caught the undertone and even longer, to know what it meant. All those people however were long since gone, leaving only her. Thus she ran after the boy that was running to his village.

- - - Village - - -

"Pitiful scum! This is what you get for not giving us the sword!" Yelled a gruff voice, hoarse and sluggish, he was obviously drunk. To add to his drunken appearance his clothes were hanging in odd positions. The black pants seemed as though they were on slightly sideways, while his mud brown long-sleeved shirt was hanging on side and was all the way un-buttoned. He had blond hair that had leaves and twigs within the low ponytail that reached his lower back. His blue eyes were focusing and refocusing, while he was holding a sword. Yet his sword was practically on the ground with the way he was leaning.

The villagers were huddling around each other, children in the middle, the elderly, then the teens and women, followed by the men. The women were to be protected, such it was in these times, and some however didn't like it.

Before any of the villagers could respond to the bandit leader they heard a voice. "Elder! Elder! Elder!" The group of villagers and bandits turned to see who had said such a thing.

What they saw was a young boy, wearing surprisingly a long gray shirt. The shirt was obviously way too big for a boy of around five years old; it was almost dragging on the ground. Its long sleeves were so long that they too were almost dragging on the ground.

Following behind him was a young girl that could not be older than fifteen. She was wearing a traditional priestess robe and was carrying a long bow with a quiver and arrows on her back.

"Hey boss, lookie a wittle boy and a purtie girlie!"

"He! He! What's they goin' to do?"

"Maybe they'd tried to fight wif us. Hm, ya?"

"Shut up you simpletons! Grab the boy and the girl!"

As the three "goons" as she had dubbed them in her mind, came closing in to where the boy and she were, she performed a little trick that she had learned a ways back. It was a very useful trick; to make one's self into solid matter when one is a ghost. Yet sometimes it was necessary to perform this technique.

The young boy bravely stood straight between and in front of the villagers and the girl, looking foreword to the bandits that had destroyed his village. His face was shinning with determinacy and he looked as if nothing could get through him.

"So ya wanna do it that way, huh?" The boss said this while looking at the boy in a sly and murderous grin. He then motioned for his "goons" to come forward.

"Stop." A stern but very gentle voice was heard and they obeyed the command to look where it had come from. The boy had previously lost his courage when the boss's bandit entourage was coming towards him. Thus he did what any sensible boy would do at his age, hide behind what looked like a powerful priestess.

"Well it looks like the girlie wants to command us." When the boss said this he saw a smirk come across her face. The smirk held arrogance in it. Though it was quite unnerving to see it on an innocent looking girl as the one standing in front of him.

"It would seem, that you have already followed one of my commands." The looks on the faces of the bandits were priceless. Anger. Confusion. Utter stupidity. All shown brightly in their drunken faces.

She looked at them. She smirked at them. She felt more alive because of them. They looked at her. Five minutes passed. They began to become angrier. Two more minutes. They yelled. They screamed. They ran in circles. They slammed into each other. They were drunk. Drunk and unconscious. The villagers stared. She stared. A dog barked.

The villagers cheered that their village was spared from more damage. Their village was smoldering, not quite burning. Smoke was coming from most of the burnt down huts. Nevertheless, the villagers were happy. No one was hurt. They could rebuild there village, but they could not rebuild lives that were lost.

She was leaving, though something caught her attention_. 'A sword? Those bandits were looking for a sword.'_ She walked back to the group of villagers.

"Excuse me, sir." The villagers looked to whom the soft voice belonged. They recognized it as the young priestess from earlier. She spoke to the village elder, yet no one knew why.

"Ah, thank you miss for helping us. Is there anything I can do to repay you?" The elder of the village asked the young girl that was addressing him. He sensed that she was different yet he couldn't put his finger on why. _'Hmm…Lady Fate came to me in a_ _dream, saying that I would need to give the Holy Sword to a young woman that would come. Hmm…. I wonder if she's the one?'_

"If I may ask, Elder… Why would those bandits be after a sword?"

"They were after the Holy Sword, but I do not know the reason why, only the chosen one from Lady Fate can wield such a sword."

If her eyes could have widened anymore, they would have fallen out. _'So long… after so long, all those years and I have finally found it.'_

"Are you all right miss?" The elder had seen the look in her eyes, and he knew now that she was the one, the one that Lady Fate had instructed him to give the sword to.

"F-fine… do you…?"

"You wish to see the Holy Sword, no?"

"Y-yes! T-that would be wonderful. I would greatly appreciate it!"

"Well, follow me." As the elder said this, he started walking towards the forest. The villagers watched for a minute then they dispersed from their group and went their separate ways.

She followed him. They walked through a forest towards a mountain. Once they were almost out of the forest, she could see there was a shrine right below the mountain, right after the forest ended. "This way." He started walking towards the shrine at the base of the mountain. "The sword is in the shrine."

When they reached the shrine, she stood in awe. The shrine was made of crystal and white marble. It was tall, several hundred feet tall. The marble and crystal were carved into many sculptures of a woman. The women were all the same, yet sometimes they were of a child, a young girl, a middle aged woman or an elderly woman. They were all dressed in different time period clothes. The clothes were all kimonos, yet from different periods in history.

"The Holy Sword is inside this shrine to Lady Fate." The elder interrupted her awe of the shrine. She looked at him in question. _' Isn't he coming too?'_

"Only those who Lady Fate wishes to, can enter" He interjected her thoughts as if reading her mind. With that she started walking towards the shrine. When she up to the steps, she took a breath. One step up, she breathed out. This process continued until she reached the top. She took one huge breath in and walked through the arch that signified the entrance. She let out the breath. She was inside the shrine.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

She walked through the grand hall of the shrine. Towards the highly decorated door at the end of the hall. When she reached the door, she hesitated. She put her hands up to the door and hesitated again. Then she pushed the door open and walked through it.

There in the middle of the room was a marble pedestal. The pedestal was glowing, through it wasn't the pedestal that was activating it, and it was what was on it that made it glow. A clear crystal sword. It had a silver handle, not too short, but long enough to hold. Her attention drifted back to the pedestal. It had writing on it; she had never seen any writing like it before. However when she concentrated on it the writing seemed to make sense. The longer she concentrated and stared, the more the writing made sense, until she could flat out read it. So she read. She understood. She comprehended the meaning of the text. She was enlightened.

"Sword of Holy Light,

Sword of Lady Fate,

Wielded by feminine might,

Destroyer of evil before she is too late,

Such is the sword to do by fulfilling the prophecy of The Great Fight."

(Real corny I know…)

'_What a weird message that was, oh well this must be the Holy Sword. Lady Fate said that I needed to retrieve the Holy Sword. So here goes nothing…'_

She walked slowly to the pedestal. Her hands were shaking, she found it strange because she was a ghost and she wasn't afraid either. Yet here she was, shaking, about to grab the Holy Sword, and she was contemplating that? She was finally able to continue her journey. Her quest. Her mission to be alive again.

So she grabbed the sword, energy flowed through her. Her hand started glowing, the glowing started to grow and went up her arm, over her shoulder until it covered her whole body. It was like the sword was accepting her, becoming one with her. It became so intense that she blacked out.

She awoke in darkness, much like the darkness when she had died. All around her was black.

I see you found the sword. A soft voice said from the darkness, the same voice from her past.

"Lady Fate?"

Yes.

"Why am I here?"

Curious one aren't you? I called you here to give you the information on the man that I wish to have the soul of.

"Is this so I can find him?"

Yes. But before I do, I wish to ask you a question.

"A question? But what can I know that you don't?"

It is true, that I know much, for I am Fate. However I do not know what goes on inside other people's minds.

"Oh, I get it. I would be honored to reply to your question."

I wish to know how you felt these past few days? I sense that something has changed within you.

"To tell you the truth I don't know what it is. I just feel more alive, and dare I say it, happier."

I see, I have a request, my request is that before you search out the man who's soul I want, please find a few people to travel with you.

"People? To travel with?"

Yes, they are just like you, ghosts whom I have let walk the earth. They also have powers similar to you.

"Powers? You mean like how I can control Holy and Light energies?"

Yes. They have the powers of Water and Fire though.

"I see. Well if it's what Lady Fate wishes, I will honor that, and find them."

Good. I'll tell you about them. Their names are Sango and Miroku.

"Sango and Miroku?"

Yes Sango is a young woman a couple years older than you, about 17. Miroku is a young man of 17 as well.

"May I know what they look like?"

Of course. Sango has mid to lower-back length brownish-maroon hair. She usually has it up in a bun, with strands framing her face. Her eyes are brown as well, and she wears a female fighting suit, similar to that of a samurai.

"So she's a fighter?"

Yes. She is very capable in the art of fighting. However she only fights when there is no alternative or if her friends/family are in danger.

"I see. How about Miroku?"

Miroku has black hair that is slightly longer than his ears. He has brown eyes as well. Miroku dresses in the robes of a holy man, and is also a strong fighter.

"Were they killed by the same person as me?"

Yes.

"Lady Fate… May I ask what happened to the girl?"

She was absorbed into the man. That is his power; he steals the power of the special people I grant it to. The little girl's power of Sight and Wind were assimilated into his make-up.

"That's horrible! All right! I'll guarantee you that I'll find those two, and Him!"

Good, now on to the man I want. His name is Naraku, and he's a minor lord in the western territories. Be careful though, there is word that he is moving up in rank, from promotion or disappearance of the ruling lords.

"Okay, so I find Sango and Miroku. Then I find Naraku?"

Correct. In order to find out which minor lord, see the Cardinal Lord. His name is Sesshomaru. Naraku is in hiding and he would be the only one that knows it is him, just ask if anything peculiar is up with any of his lesser lords. Now, I must return you.

She blacked out again. When she awoke, there was a hand upon her shoulder. It was the hand of the elder, she found out when she lifted her head up from the ground and looked at the owner of the said hand.

"Elder?" She asked making sure it was he. She was still a little disoriented at the moment.

"Yes, are you alright miss? You just appeared out side the shrine unconscious." He answered in a worried and confused tone.

"Yes, I'm fine." She noticed that it was particularly uncomfortable lying on the ground. There was something long and hard underneath her. 'The sword!' She thought, and she practically jumped, scaring the elder when she did such a thing.

She stared at the Holy Sword in awe. She stared at it with hope. Se stared at it with determination. The elder started at the Holy Sword like it was some kind of miracle. He couldn't take his eyes off of it, until she picked it up.

"Come," he said. "We will go back to the village then I will leave you to your own devices."

"Very well." She answered softly; somewhat annoyed she couldn't leave yet. But she was honorable and respective, thus she would listen to the elder.

She put her sword in the sash that was around her waist, letting the sword get hidden by the cape as she walked. It was why she wore the priestess outfit, though she made a few adjustments.

She wore her hair down, a little below her shoulders and her pearly white cape that hung off of them. The sash that was around the long white skirt was a silvery color and had multiple strands forming it. Her shirt was a halter-top that matched her white skirt and cape. The shoes she wore were flat and were silver like her sash and the make of her shirt. The mark was shapes like an 'L' with little diamond bubbles, one on each side of it.

When the elder and her came into the village, everyone took a moment to look at them, then they went back to fixing their homes. The small boy, that had gotten her to help the village, came up to them.

"Miss! Thank you! May I know your name?" The small boy asked enthusiastically.

She was uncertain to answer. She had only giver her name in very few instances. Yet she felt more alive than she had since she had died.

"My name…my name is Kagome…" The young boy's eyes widened at the mention of her name. Then his eyes went back to normal and he looked back at her with playfulness and mischievous twinkles that reminded her of Kaze.

The elder bid them farewell at that moment. He left to go help the other villagers in rebuilding. As a result the boy and her stood there in the outskirts of the village.

"Kagome." He stated, somewhat nervously.

"Yes?" She questioned worriedly.

"My family is dead…have been for a while…do you? Do you think I could come with you?"

Her eyes widened at that question. She was unsure on what to do. If she said 'no' then he would most likely be commended to death. If she said 'yes' then the child would have to go on her quest.

"Yes…yes, you may." She answered though she never figured out why she chose that choice.

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